Media Habits of MENA Youth: A Three-Country Survey

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI)

American University of Beirut
PO Box 11-0236, Riad El Solh 1107 2020, Beirut, Lebanon | Tel: +961-1-350000, ext. 4150 | Fax: +961-1-350000 | Email: ifi@aub.edu.lb Youth in the Arab World

July 2010
Working Paper Series #2 | July 2010

Media Habits of
MENA Youth:
A Three-Country Survey

Jad Melki, PhD

#2
Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Working Paper Series

Sponsored by
The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, AUB
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Copyright © 2010

Founded in 2006, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of
Beirut (AUB) harnesses policy-related research by AUB’s internationally respected faculty to enhance debate and decision-making in the Arab World and abroad.

Funded by the Issam Fares family, AUB, and Arab and international donors, IFI uses these funds to:
Manage its programs on major issues facing the region.
Carry out research projects, workshops, conferences, seminars and lectures.
Disseminate its findings via regular publications, public policy memos, newsletters and cutting-edge web technologies.
For each of the following programs, develop a public online, fully-searchable database of published and ongoing research projects, researchers, institutions, government and
non-governmental agencies, and other relevant actors.

Research and Policy Forum on Youth in the Arab World
With a foundation of 30 faculty members at AUB, the Research and Policy Forum on Youth in the Arab World acts as a meeting point, catalyst and central repository for Arab-
international research and policy on Arab youth.

Rami G. Khouri IFI Director
Zaki Boulos Communications Manager
Zina Sawaf Program Coordinator
Muneira Hoballah Program Research Assistant

Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs

Youth in the Arab World
Working Paper Series #2 | July 2010

Media Habits of
MENA Youth:
A Three-Country Survey

Jad Melki, PhD
Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Research and Policy Forum on
Youth in the Arab World American University of Beirut
With a foundation of 30 faculty members
at AUB, the Research and Policy Forum on
Youth in the Arab World acts as a meeting
point, catalyst and central repository for
Arab-international research and policy on
Arab youth.
Sponsored by
The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, AUB
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Rami G. Khouri IFI Director
Zaki Boulos Communications Manager
Zina Sawaf Program Coordinator
Muneira Hoballah Program Research Assistant Copyright © 2010

Table of Contents
Foreword ........................................................................................ .........................................................................................................................................................................................5

Acknowledgments ........................................................................................ ....................................................................................................................................................................7

Summary of Findings ................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................9

Introduction .................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Results .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

(1) Language use with various media ................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

(2) Online Social Networking and Blogging Habits ............................. .............................................................................................................................................. 21

(3) News Consumption Habits .............................................................. ......................................................................................................................................................... 23

(4) Entertainment and Leisure Related Media Activities ...................... ........................................................................................................................................... 27

(5) Television Habits ............................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................. 30

(6) Work or Schoolwork-Related Media Activities .............................. ................................................................................................................................................. 35

(7) Internet Use, Speed, and Cost, and Computer Skills ....................... ........................................................................................................................................... 37

(8) Attitudes Toward the Internet, Online Restrictions, and Privacy .... ..................................................................................................................................... 39

(9) Online Purchasing and Downloading Habits ................................... .............................................................................................................................................. 42

Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44

Bibliography .................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................... 48

Appendix ................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................................... 49

Principal Investigator: Jad Melki
Jad Melki, the research director of the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA) and a faculty member at the
Salzburg Academy, is an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the
American University of Beirut. Previously, he was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University teaching courses in research methods,
media and society, media literacy, and media, war and terrorism. Melki has been a broadcast and online journalist for over 12 years
working with American and Arabic media. He was part of the Webby award and Press Club award winning Hot Zone team (Yahoo!
News), covering the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. He received his Ph.D. in journalism and media studies from the Phillip Merrill College
of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.

This study has undergone rigorous blind peer reviewing by international scholars.

Foreword
We are very pleased to sponsor Jad Melki’s significant work in the field of youth media habits. This kind of empirical research is critically
important at a time when there is a lot of public rhetoric about Arab youth that is not always supported by credible research. With new
insight into how this segment of surveyed young Arabs use new media we are happy to contribute to filling this gap.
This kind of policy-relevant research is very much in line with IFI’s mission to conduct research across the region from all sectors
of society. High school and university students were surveyed from three Arab countries. Phase 2 of this project will be to expand this
survey to other Arab countries offering policy makers and researchers a wider view across the Arab world. We hope that this project
will be useful to policy-makers, bureaucrats, the mass media, scholars, business and civil society leaders, opinion molders, and finally
young people throughout society.

Rami G. Khouri
Director
Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs

Media Habits of MENA Youth: A Three-Country Survey 5

Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to those who worked on this study and made it possible and also to those who offered advice
and insight and helped guide this final report. I would first like to extend my appreciation to Nour Amache who tirelessly helped in
administering this project and spent endless hours contacting schools and universities and setting up a meticulous schedule for the
fieldwork, among the other tasks she undertook. Also, I would like to thank Sara Ajlyakin for her work on the literature review and
other tasks, including early work for the second phase of this project and the introduction section. Special thanks to Michael Oghia
and Maryam Saad who helped in proofreading early drafts of this report. The fieldwork could not have been so efficient without the
hard work of Farah Madadha and Yasmine al-Sakka in Jordan, and Ewan Abbasi and Noaf Ahmad in the U.A.E. Ameen Jaber, Basma
Tabaja, Haidar Saheb, Hiba Sleiman, Janet Barhoum, Maryam Saad, Michael Oghia, Nour Amache, Samia el-Osta, Sara Ajlyakin, Sari
Majdalani, and Yasmine al-Sakka offered indispensable help in fieldwork in Lebanon and other tasks, including translations, data entry,
and pre-testing the survey questionnaire. Moreover, my gratitude extends to the blind reviewers who meticulously edited the report
and offered invaluable feedback, and to my colleagues at AUB who helped me improve this study through their constructive critiques
and suggestions, especially Profs. Charles Harb, Nabil Dajani, Randa Serhan, and Sari Hanafi. I would also like to convey my apprecia-
tion to all the schools and universities who allowed us access to their students and facilities and offered us wonderful hospitability
and assistance. Finally, I am greatly indebted to Rami Khoury, the director of IFI, who offered crucial insight and guidance, and to his
capable team, especially Zina Sawaf and Muneira Hoballah, whose daily support kept this project moving smoothly and efficiently.
This project could not have been possible without a generous grant from IFI and the UNICEF.


Summary of Findings
This pilot study surveyed 2,744 university and high school students in Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. It asked about
their media consumption and production habits and about their attitudes towards certain media.
Among the significant findings, the survey found the participants highly adept at using new media. They spent considerable
time consuming new and traditional media, but much less time producing media content. For instance, the vast majority of par-
ticipants indicated that they had never blogged. In addition, those who did produce media content, through blogging or otherwise,
tended to do it in a language other than their native language. Indeed, with the exception of news, the majority of surveyed youth
consumed and produced media in English, rather than Arabic. In addition, the participants used media predominantly for entertain-
ment, for connecting with others, and for work or schoolwork, but less often for current affairs, for expressing their opinions, or for
political activism.
Participants trusted new media to alarming levels, and had little concern about privacy or surveillance threats. They viewed the
web as a place for freebees and frequently downloaded media content without paying for it. In addition, most did not click on online
ads. Traditional news media, especially print, were among the least used, and the preference was primarily for TV and some new media,
but not blogs, which were used least as news sources. Across all media uses, TV remained king followed by some new media like mobile
texting, online social networking and emailing. The findings indicated weak levels of media literacy and news literacy across all groups,
but high levels of new media adoption and technology savviness, especially among the younger and more affluent participants.
Differences did emerge across countries, genders, age groups, and education and income levels. These were too numerous to
state here, but the following are three highlights: U.A.E.’s participants and those of mid-to-upper income mainly used English across all
media, while those from Jordan and those of lower-to-mid income used Arabic. Males, older participants and those of higher educa-
tion level followed the news more often than females, younger participants and those of lower education level. U.A.E.’s participants
and those of mid-to-upper income reported higher usage levels of entertainment media.
The study used a purposive cluster sampling technique and a self-administered questionnaire. It focused on nine areas:

(1) Language use with various media
(2) Online social networking and blogging habits
(3) News consumption
(4) Entertainment and leisure-related media activities
(5) Television habits
(6) Work- or schoolwork-related media activities
(7) Internet use, speed and cost, and computer skills
(8) Attitudes toward the Internet, online restrictions and privacy
(9) Online purchasing and downloading habits

What follows is a brief summary of the major findings:


(1) Language Use With Various Media The study found that very few of the surveyed participants had ever blogged (written weblog entries). Among those who did
blog, the vast majority wrote (in order) about music and entertainment news, followed by arts and culture, sports, travel, science and
The study asked participants a series of questions about which languages they primarily used for certain media-related activities. By technology, international news, health news, and religion. Only few bloggers wrote about local political news, Arab political news, and
far, English emerged as the dominant language used across all media activities except news, where Arabic had a slight edge. Almost all economic and financial news.
participants blogged in English, and the majority used English for entertainment, work/schoolwork, and watching television. With the
exception of news consumption, Arabic came in second rank, while French landed a distant third position—even among participants
who indicated they spoke French fluently and studied French primarily at school.

(3) News Consumption Habits
Most interviewed participants followed the news sometimes or often, with a majority saying they spent an hour or less per day on news. The
vast majority received most of their news from television and word of mouth (friends and family). Following these sources were, in order,
professional web sites, Internet videos, emails, mobile phone texting, and online social networks. Fewer participants received their news
from newspapers, magazines, and radio, and fewer still mentioned blogs—70% of participants said they never received news from blogs.

(2) Online Social Networking and Blogging Habits
Almost all surveyed participants had used online social networking (e.g. Facebook), and most used it for fun, to connect with family
and existing and new friends. A sizeable minority used it to express their opinions, but less than 10% used it to conduct business and
even less so for political activism (e.g. organizing political events).

10 Youth in the Arab World | Working Paper Series #2 | July 2010 3 Media Habits of MENA Youth: A Three-Country Survey 11

As for the news genre they mainly followed, the majority chose music and entertainment news. Following these distantly (4) Entertainment and Leisure Related Media Activities
were (in order) international news, sports news, science and technology news, health news, local political news, arts and culture, Arab
political news, travel, religion, and economic and financial news. Finally, the most closely followed news stories were the Lebanese, Participants spent many hours a day on entertainment-related media activities. More than half said they used media for over three
Palestinian, and Iraqi wars/conflicts. Following these distantly were the Iran elections and nuclear power controversy, the Afghanistan hours per day for entertainment purposes. Television topped the list of most frequently used media for entertainment, followed closely
war, the Yemen war, and lastly the Sudan conflict. by mobile phone texting, listening to music on a PC, talking on a mobile phone, and listening to music (on other devices). After these
came online social networking, online chatting, watching videos, playing video games, and talking on Skype or other VOIP service. At
the bottom of the list came playing sports or board games, reading books, magazines, or blogs, watching movies at a theater1, reading
e-books, and watching live theater plays (see chart below for unmentioned details).

1 Although watching movies and plays at theaters makes more sense to be ranked on a weekly basis, the ranking for all categories here was based
on usage “once a day,” and that applied to movies and plays for consistency.


(5) Television Habits (6) Work- or Schoolwork-Related Media Activities
The overwhelming majority of participants (almost 90%) had at least two TV sets at home, and while the vast majority indicated that The majority used (any) media at least once a day for work or schoolwork. When it came to which specific medium they used most fre-
they watched TV at home in a room other than their bedroom, almost half the participants also said they watched TV in their bedroom. quently for work or schoolwork, mobile phone texting ranked first. Websites came in second, followed by emails, online social networks,
In addition, most participants mainly watched TV with their parents, with their siblings, or alone. search engines, online chatting, and computer applications, successively. The usage of blogs for work or schoolwork ranked last.

When asked what other activities they engaged in while watching TV, eating topped the list, with over 85% of participants
indicating so. Following this activity in order were: talking with people in the room, mobile texting, talking on the phone (see chart
below for the rest). When asked about the programs they mainly watched on TV, a majority chose movies, comedy series, music videos
and drama series. A sizeable minority chose cartoons, sports, documentaries, and game shows. Only few selected newscasts and
political talk shows.

(7) Internet Use, Speed, and Cost, and Computer Skills,
The vast majority of participants said they had used the Internet before, and a slight majority considered Internet connection in their
country both fast and expensive. Almost all participants considered themselves and their oldest siblings as possessing intermediate
or expert level computer skills, and most also rated their fathers accordingly, but a majority rated their mothers as beginners or “can-
not use computers.” Google followed by MSN/Hotmail, Facebook, and Yahoo! were the most common homepages on participants’
browsers.


(8) Attitudes Toward the Internet, Online Restrictions, and Privacy (9) Online Purchasing and Downloading Habits
The vast majority of participants believed that information acquired through the Internet is very or somewhat trustworthy, and most Participants extensively downloaded music, software, games, and videos, but very few indicated that they paid for these downloads.
used their real name as opposed to a fake profile for various online activities. However, they were split when asked about restrictions Simultaneously, barely any participants used credit cards online, and most did not click on online advertisements.
on Internet content. Slightly more than half believed there should be less or no restrictions, while almost half selected “more restric-
tions” or “Internet content should be fully restricted or banned.”

The vast majority also did not view the Internet as a tool that can help them influence government or gain political power,
and only a minority believed the Internet helps governments monitor them or “helps corrupt them.” They were split when it came to
viewing the Internet as a threat to their privacy but tended to slightly agree that it distracts them from work. On the other hand, the
vast majority believed the Internet helped them advocate their causes and beliefs, and express their opinions. Almost all agreed that
it helped them with their work or schoolwork and that it offered them “great entertainment opportunities.”
While this section summarized the general findings across all groups, several significant and interesting differences emerged
between the compared countries, genders, age groups, education levels, and income levels. Please see the results section below for
details on these differences.2

2 A comprehensive literature review was also conducted but not included in this report.


Introduction Results
New media have encroached into the lives of Middle Eastern youth in ways unimaginable just ten years ago. Upon visiting any Middle This section delineates the results of the survey. It includes nine sub-sections, each starting with a brief summary followed by general
Eastern city, observers are struck by the number of satellite dishes covering the diverse landscape, spanning the impoverished as much descriptive data and ending with a comparison of the variables across countries, genders, age groups, education levels and income
as the affluent neighborhoods. Internet penetration rates across the region continue to grow exponentially, while governments in levels. As mentioned in the methodology section below, age groups, education levels and income levels each included only two
panic acknowledge this growth with hasty policies and regulations. On almost every winding street of a Cairo, Beirut, or Damascene groups (18-28 vs. 17 or younger; those with a high school degree or higher vs. those with some high school education or less; those of
old town, a plethora of Internet cafes serve and entertain a vibrant youthful population. Cell phone ringtones have become as familiar mid-to-upper income vs. those of lower-to-mid income, respectively). The first section focuses on language use with various media.
as calls to prayer. Signs of youth increasingly succumbing to a global information saturated culture attract heated debates across the Section two deals with online social networking and blogging habits. Section three tackles news consumption, followed by a section
political, commercial, cultural and religious spheres, with predictions about its impact ranging from an acceleration in democratiza- on entertainment-related media activities, and another on television habits. Section six focuses on work- or schoolwork-related media
tion and development, to a facilitation of Western cultural colonization and a breakdown in social traditions and norms. Despite this activities, and section seven analyzes Internet use, speed and cost. The next section deals with computer skills, attitudes towards the
intense interest in how, why and what media do Middle Eastern youth consume and produce and with what potential effects, there Internet, online restrictions and privacy, and the last section tackles online purchasing and downloading habits.
remains a dearth of scientific data critically needed to inform this topic.
Given the horizons this issue continues to unceasingly open up in various fields of study, this proposed project aims to examine
media consumption and production habits among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) youth. It derives its justification from the
pressing need for reliable information about media habits, a topic that has recently attracted massive funding and research across the (1) Language Use With Various Media
world. As more studies link media habits to political, economic, health—both physical and mental—and social issues, both negative
and positive, the study of media habits will likely dominate research and policy circles in the foreseeable future. The study asked participants a series of questions about which languages they primarily used for certain media-re-
Most studies about media habits focus on Western countries, especially the U.S., with no comprehensive scholarly research lated activities. By far, English emerged as the dominant language used across all media activities except news, where
dealing with MENA countries. Therefore, this study aims to map trends and developments in media habits among MENA youth, focus- Arabic had a slight edge. With the exception of news, Arabic came in second rank, while French3 landed a distant
ing in its first phase on three countries: Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. third position. Almost all participants blogged in English and the majority used English for entertainment, work and
Sponsored by the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut and UNICEF, the study aims to generate a status schoolwork, and watching television.
report on what media do these surveyed youth use to access and generate news, information, and entertainment material, through
print, broadcast, satellite, mobile, online, and Web 2.0 media. The study looks for indicators of such consumption and production
habits, including gender, education level, socio-economic status, country of residence, and age. In addition, the study evaluates the Figure1: Language and Blogging
level of trust and engagement and the type of information accessed and generated through the various media used.
This pilot project surveyed 2,744 teens and young adults, aged 13 to 28, living or studying in the three mentioned countries.
The study sample focused on a predominantly affluent, mostly urban, and literate sample of youth. While this pilot study does not
claim the generalizability of its findings to youth living the MENA region, its findings do reflect valid trends among an important
segment of Arab school and university students who tend to be literate urban dwellers of middle class income (see methodology for
details).
The findings of this project will contribute to understanding the direction in which the MENA region is moving through under-
standing the media consumption and production habits that predominate youth cultures and demographics. Having an accurate
picture about what media content MENA youth consume and produce and which old and new media technologies they interact with
contributes to the understanding of political, social and commercial trends and shifts that have important policy, business, educational,
and cultural implications. The findings will help guide development, ground social and educational policies, serve as a bellwether to
important trends and behaviors, and offer a basis for the actions of youth-focused MENA institutions and NGOs.
This document represents a pilot study for a larger project that will examine media consumption and production habits among
youth living in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The larger project will expand the number of MENA countries from
three to 12, and include Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian, Tunis, and the U.A.E.

1.1 Language and Blogging
The vast majority of participants (81%) primarily used English for blogging (writing). Only 11% selected Arabic, and 4% chose French
(Figure 1). In addition, 4% chose both Arabic and English. No significant differences emerged when comparing across countries,
genders, age groups, or education level or income level, but it is important to note that more than three quarters of the participants
(77%) had never blogged at all.

3 The researcher further investigated this and found that even in Lebanon (considered a Fracophone country) and even among participants who
said they spoke French fluently and those who studied in schools that taught primarily French, the majority of them still used English in their vari-
ous media activities—except for news.


1.2 Language and Media for Entertainment (2) Online Social Networking and Blogging Habits
Similar to the above, the majority of participants (66%) said they primarily used English for entertainment-related media activities, Almost all participants had used online social networking, and most used it for fun, to connect with family and exist-
followed by Arabic (23%) and French (2%). In addition, 7% selected Arabic and English equally, and 2% selected Arabic, English, and ing and new friends. A sizeable minority used it to express opinions, but barely anyone used it for conducting business
French equally. and even less so for political activism. Furthermore, very few participants had ever blogged. Among those who did
When comparing across countries, U.A.E.’s participants (79%) were more likely to choose English compared to Lebanon’s (72%) blog, the vast majority wrote about music and entertainment news. That was followed by arts and culture, sports,
and Jordan’s (67%). On the other hand, Jordan’s participants (32%) were more likely to choose Arabic compared to Lebanon’s (25%) travel, science and technology, international news, health news, and religion. Fewer bloggers wrote about local poli-
and U.A.E.’s (21%) participants. Comparing genders, males (77%) were slightly more likely than females (70%) to use English for their tics, Arab political news, and economic and financial news.
entertainment-related media activities, while females (28%) were slightly more likely than males (22%) to use Arabic. More substantial
differences emerged across income levels. Participants of mid-to-upper income (87%) were much more likely to choose English com-
pared to those of lower-to-mid income (68%). In contrast, the lower income group (31%) was three times as likely to choose Arabic as 2.1 Online Social Networking
the higher income group (10%). No significant difference emerged when comparing between age groups or education levels.
Overall, the vast majority of participants (87%) said they used online social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace (Figure
2). No difference emerged for use of online social networks when comparing across countries, genders, age groups, or education
1.3 Language and Media for Work or Schoolwork levels. However, mid-to-upper income participants (92%) were slightly more likely to have used online social networking compared to
lower-to-mid income participants (85%).
English also ranked the highest (64%) for work- or schoolwork-related media activities, compared to Arabic (25%) and French (3%). In Among those who have used online social networking, 84% said they mainly use it for fun, 84% to connect with existing friends, 58%
addition, 6% said they used Arabic and English equally, and 2% chose Arabic, English, and French equally (Figure 10). to connect with family, 55% to make new friends, 41% to express opinion, 9% to conduct business, and only 5% for political activism.
When comparing across countries, U.A.E.’s participants (77%) were more likely to choose English compared to Lebanon’s (70%)
and Jordan’s (62%). Conversely, Jordan’s participants (38%) were more likely to choose Arabic compared to Lebanon’s (25%) and U.A.E.’s
(22%). Furthermore, participants 18 to 28 (77%) were more likely to use English than those 17 or younger (67%). On the other hand, the Figure 2: Main Use of Online Social Networking
latter group (30%) was more likely to use Arabic than the former (21%). When comparing education levels, those who had completed
a high school degree or higher (78%) were more likely to use English compared to those with less than a high school degree (66%).
In contrast, the latter group (31%) was more likely than the former (18%) to use Arabic. Differences across income levels again were
more substantial. Participants of mid-to-upper income (87%) were more likely to choose English compared to those of lower-to-mid
income (64%). On the other hand, the latter group (34%) was more than four times more likely to choose Arabic than the former (8%).
No significant difference emerged when comparing between genders.

1.4 Language and Television
English also dominated when it came to watching television. The majority (57%) primarily used English for TV watching, while 24% used
Arabic, and 2% chose French. In addition, 14% selected Arabic and English equally, and 2% chose Arabic, English, and French equally.
When comparing across countries, U.A.E.’s participants (75%) chose English more than Lebanon’s (70%) and Jordan’s par-
ticipants (62%). Conversely, Jordan’s participants (37%) chose Arabic more than Lebanon’s (27%) and U.A.E.’s (25%). In addition, more
males (75%) than females (65%) chose English for TV watching, while more females (33%) than males (23%) selected Arabic. As
for age groups, slightly more participants 17 or less (72%) than those 18-28 (65%) chose English. The opposite was true for Arabic,
where slightly more older (33%) than younger (27%) participants chose Arabic. Again, more pronounced were the differences across
income levels. Substantially more mid-to-upper income participants (85%) chose English than lower-to-mid income participants
(64%). Conversely, three times more lower income (35%) than higher income (12%) participants chose Arabic. No significant differ-
ence registered for education levels.
Comparing countries. Some differences emerged between the three countries. Jordan’s participants were more likely than
Lebanon’s and U.A.E.’s to say they used online social networks to connect with existing friends (89%, 83%, 81%, respectively), to express
1.5 Language and News their opinions (48%, 37%, 42%), and for fun (89%, 81%, 86%). However, Jordan’s participants (50%) were least likely to say they used
online social networks to make new friends compared to Lebanon’s (55%) and U.A.E.’s participants (57%), while Lebanon’s (7%) and
The one exception for language and media use was in the realm of news. Unlike the previously mentioned, the majority of participant Jordan’s participants (5%) were more likely than U.A.E.’s (1%) to say they used it for political activism.
(57%) said they used Arabic for news, compared to English (32%), and barely anyone used French (1%). In addition, 7% selected Arabic Comparing genders. Compared to 63% of males, only 48% of females said they have used online social networks for mak-
and English equally, and 1% chose Arabic, English and French equally. ing new friends. No other significant differences registered for other uses.
However, when comparing across countries, almost half of U.A.E.’s participant (49%) chose English compared to one third of Education Levels. Those who have not yet graduated from high school were more likely than those who have finished a high
Lebanon’s (32%) and one quarter of Jordan’s (26%). On the other hand, the vast majority of Jordan’s participants (73%) chose Arabic school degree or higher to use online social networks to make new friends (56%, 50%, respectively) and to have fun (86%, 79%). Aside
compared to Lebanon’s (66%) and the U.A.E.’s (50%). Again, more substantial differences registered between the two income levels. from that, no significant differences appeared.
Substantially more participants of mid-to-upper income (53%) than those of lower-to-mid income (30%) chose English for news. Comparing income levels. Compared to 56% of lower-to-mid income participants, 65% of mid-to-upper income participants used
Contrarily, the lower income group (70%) was much more likely to choose Arabic than the higher income group (44%). No significant online social networks to connect with family. However, lower-to-mid income participants were more likely than mid-to-upper income
differences emerged for genders, age groups, or education levels. participants to say they used online social networks to make new friends compared (59%, 41%, respectively) and to express their opinion
(43%, 35%). No significant differences emerged for the other categories. No significant differences between age groups emerged.


2.2 Blogging Habits (3) News Consumption Habits
The vast majority of surveyed participants (77%) had never written a blog entry. Even among those who had, only 3% (63 participants) Most interviewed participants indicated that they followed the news sometimes or often, with a majority saying they
said they blogged several times a day, 7% blogged about once a day, and 13% blogged about once a week (Figure 3). No significant spent an hour or less per day on news. The vast majority received most of their news from Television and word of mouth
differences for blogging emerged when comparing across countries, genders, age groups, education levels or income levels. (friend and family). Following these sources were, in order, professional web sites, Internet videos, emails, mobile
phone texting, and online social networks. Fewer participants received their news from newspapers and magazines
and from radio. And at the bottom of the list came blogs with a majority of participants saying they never received
Figure 3: Frequency of Blogging news from this source. As for news genre, the majority indicated they mainly followed music and entertainment news.
Following these distantly were international news, sports news, science and technology news, health news, local politi-
cal news, arts and culture, Arab political news, travel, religion, and economic and financial news. Finally, the most
closely followed news stories were the Lebanese, Palestinian, and Iraqi wars/conflicts. Following these distantly were
the Iran elections and nuclear power controversy, the Afghanistan war, the Yemen war, and lastly the Sudan conflict.

The study asked participants how often they followed the news. A majority (60%) answered sometimes or often—19% chose often.
On the other hand, 31% said they rarely followed the news, and 9% said never (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Following News

When asked about what they blogged (Figure 4), 68% of those who blogged at least once a week answered music and
entertainment news. This was followed by arts and culture (37%), sports news (33%), travel news (25%), science and technology news
(23%), international news (20%), health (18%), religion (17%), local political news (15%), Arab political news (14%), and economic and
financial news (11%).

Figure 4: What Participants Blog About

When comparing this general question, males, older participants and those of higher education level tended to follow the
news more often. Compared to 68% of males, 50% of females said they followed the news sometimes or often. Similarly, 68% of those
18 to 28 followed the news sometimes or often compared to 56% of those 17 or younger. Finally, 67% of participants with a high
school degree or higher compared to 57% of those with some high school education or less chose the same options. No significant
differences registered when comparing countries or income levels.
More specifically, participants rated how much time daily they spent reading, listening, or watching news. One-fifth (20%)
chose no time at all, 44% selected less than one hour per day, 17% said about one hour per day, 10% picked about two hours per day,
and 10% said three hours or more (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Daily Time Spent on News

Because only few participants said they blogged, the study did not compare these topics across countries, genders, age groups,
education levels, or income levels.


When comparing this more specific variable, once again, males, older participants, and those of higher education level tended With the exception of professional news web sites, no significant differences emerged when comparing these news sources
to follow the news more often. Still, no significant differences registered between countries or income levels. across any of the categories. However, older participants, those of higher education level, and those of higher income registered more
frequent useage of professional news web sites. In fact, 35% of participants 18 to 28 years old compared to 27% of those 17 years old
or younger said they used this news medium several times a day. Similarly, 34% of those with a high school degree or higher compared
3.1 News Sources to 27% of those with some high school education or less, and 35% of mid-to-upper income participants compared to 28% of lower-to-
mid income participants said the same. No other difference emerged.
Participants rated which media sources they used most frequently for news. Figure 7 lists those sources in order based on the responses Newspapers and magazines, radio. Following these media in order came newspapers and magazines (print media), fol-
of following news once a day or more. lowed closely by radio. Nineteen percent of participants said they used newspapers and magazines for news several times a day, 30%
selected about once a day, 31% chose once a week, and 20% chose never. As for radio, 18% chose several times a day, 28% selected
about once a day, 31% chose once a week, and 23% chose never.
Figure 7: Main News Sources Some significant differences emerged when comparing the use of print news media across countries and between income
levels, but none appeared between genders, age groups, and education levels. Compared to 23% of U.A.E.’s participants, 19% of
Jordan’s and 16% of Lebanon’s said they used newspapers and magazines several times a day. In addition, compared to 23% of mid-
to-upper income participants, 17% of lower-to-mid income participants said the same.
When comparing radio, older participants and those of higher education level registered higher use. Compared to 23% of
participants 18 to 28 years old, 16% of those 17 years old or younger said they used radio for news several times a day. Similarly, 22%
of those with a high school degree or higher compared to 16% of those with some high school education or less said the same.
Blogs. Blogs ranked at the bottom of the list. Only 6% of participant said they received their news from blogs several times a
day, 10% selected about once a day, 14% chose once a week, and 70% chose never. No significant difference emerged across any of
the compared categories for blogs.

3.2 News Genres
Participants selected which news genres they mainly followed (Figure 8). Again, music and entertainment news ranked first with 67%
of participants. In second place came international news (43%), followed by sports news (41%), science and technology news (39%),
health news (38%), local political news (36%), arts and culture (36%), Arab political news (30%), travel (23%), religion (23%), economic
and financial news (18%).

Figure 8: News Genre Participants Mainly Followed

Television. Television landed the top spot. Almost half (45%) the participants said they used TV for news several times a
day, 34% chose about once a day, 15% selected about once a week, and 6% picked never. No significant differences emerged when
comparing across countries, genders, age groups, income levels, or education levels.
Talking to friends and family. Getting news from talking to friends and family ranked second, with 38% of participants
receiving news through this source several times a day, 29% selected about once a day, 21% chose once a week, and 12% chose never.
When comparing, female participants and those of higher income levels tended to choose this method more frequently. In fact, 42%
of females compared to 34% of males said they get their news several times a day in this manner. Similarly, 46% of mid-to-upper
income participants compared to 36% of lower-to-mid income participants said the same. Otherwise, there were no differences across
countries, age, or education level.
Websites, Internet videos, email, mobile texting, and social networks. Professional news web sites (e.g. aljazeera.com)
came in third, followed closely by Internet videos (e.g. YouTube, Google Videos), email, SMS and cell phone texting, and online social
networking. First, 31% of participants said they used professional news websites several times a day, 28% selected about once a day,
23% chose once a week, and 19% chose never. Participants registered almost the same choices for Internet videos (31%, 28%, 22%,
19%, respectively), email (31%, 23%, 22%, 24%), SMS and cell phone texting (31%, 21%, 20%, 28%), and online social networking (31%,
21%, 19%, 29%).


Country. Participants from Jordan were more likely than those from the U.A.E. and Lebanon to say they followed international Comparing Countries. When comparing countries, Jordan’s and U.A.E.’s participants followed the Iraq wars more closely
news (50%, 48%, 36%, respectively) and Arab political news (42%, 29%, 24%). Those from Jordan were also more likely than those from than Lebanon’s participants (48%, 34%, 28% followed the Iraq war sometimes or often, respectively). Similarly, Jordan’s and U.A.E.’s
Lebanon and the U.A.E. to choose health news (46%, 36%, 36%), arts and culture news (43%, 35%, 31%), and science and technology participants followed the Palestine war more closely than Lebanon’s participants (70%, 52%, 40%). Predictably, Lebanon’s participants
news (41%, 40%, 34%). In addition, those from Lebanon and Jordan were more likely to follow local political news compared to those followed the Lebanon conflicts more closely than Jordan’s and U.A.E.’s participants (77%, 53%, 39%). No significant differences between
from the U.A.E. (39%, 36%, 29%). Finally, participants from U.A.E. (49%) were more likely to say they followed sports news compared to countries appeared for the rest of the conflicts.
39% of those from Jordan and 36% of those from Lebanon. No significant difference appeared between countries for economic and Comparing genders. With the exception of the Lebanon conflict, males more closely followed all the listed wars and conflicts
financial news, religion news, or travel news. than females: The Iraq war (42% vs. 29% followed this war sometimes or often, respectively), the Palestine war (54% vs. 48%), the
Gender. When comparing genders, males were almost three times more likely than females to follow sports news (64% vs. Iran conflict (38% vs. 21%), the Afghanistan war (23% vs. 13%), the Yemen war (20% vs. 8%), and the Sudan conflict (17% vs. 7%). No
22%). Similarly, more males than females followed science and technology news (50% vs. 31%), local political news (42% vs. 31%), Arab significant difference registered for the Lebanon conflict.
political news (33% vs. 26%), and economic and financial news (23% vs. 15%). On the other hand, more females than males followed Comparing ages. Similarly, older participants (18-28) more closely followed all the listed wars and conflicts than younger
music and entertainment news (76% vs. 56%), health news (46% vs. 28%), and arts and cultural news (44% vs. 26%). No differences participants (17 or younger): The Lebanon conflict (67% vs. 58% followed this war sometimes or often, respectively), the Iraq war (45%
emerged for International news, religion news, or travel news. vs. 31%), the Palestine war (59% vs. 47%), the Iran conflict (37% vs. 25%), the Afghanistan war (25% vs. 14%), the Yemen war (18% vs.
Age group. Older participants (18-28 years old) were more likely than their younger counterparts (17 or younger) to follow 12%), and the Sudan conflict (17% vs. 10%).
local political news (45% vs. 31%), Arab political news (36% vs. 27%), international political news (51% vs. 39%), economic and financial Comparing education level. Again with the exception of the Lebanon conflict, participants with a higher education level
news (26% vs. 15%). Conversely, a larger number of younger participants compared to older participants followed sports news (43% vs. (completed a high school degree or higher) more closely followed all the listed wars and conflicts than those with a lower education
35%) and music and entertainment news (69% vs. 62%). No significant differences registered for health news, science and technology, level (completed some high school education or less): The Iraq war (41% vs. 32% followed this war sometimes or often, respectively),
religion, travel, and arts and culture. the Palestine war (58% vs. 47%), the Iran conflict (37% vs. 25%), the Afghanistan war (24% vs. 14%), the Yemen war (18% vs. 11%), and
Education level. Participants with a higher education level (completed a high school degree or higher) compared to those the Sudan conflict (17% vs. 10%). No significant different registered for the Lebanon conflict.
with a lower education level (completed some high school education or less) followed local news (44% vs. 32%), Arab political news Comparing income levels. No significant differences registered for any of the wars and conflicts across income levels.
(36% vs. 27%), international news (48% vs. 40%), and economic and financial news (24% vs. 16%). In contrast, the lower education
group was more likely than the higher education group to follow entertainment news (69% vs. 62%), and science and technology news
(41% vs. 34%). No significant difference for health news, religion, travel, and arts and culture.
Income levels. Participants of mid-to-upper income followed international news more closely than those of lower-to-mid (4) Entertainment and Leisure-Related Media Activities
income (55% vs. 39%). No other differences emerged for income level across news genres.
Surveyed participants spent many hours of their day on entertainment-related media activities. More than half said
they used media over three hour per day for entertainment purposes. Television topped the list of most frequently
3.3 Stories in the News used media for entertainment, followed closely by mobile phone texting, listening to music on a PC, talking on mobile
phone, listening to music on an MP3 (portable digital) player, on radio or TV, and on a CD or cassette player. After
Participants chose which news stories they followed most closely from a list of current regional conflicts that make the Arab news these, in order, came online social networking, online chatting, watching videos or movies on DVD or VHS, watching
agenda (Figure 9). The Lebanese, Palestinian and Iraqi conflicts topped the list as the most closely followed news. In fact, 61% of videos or movies online, playing games on a mobile phone, watching videos or movies on a computer, and talking on
participants said they (sometimes or often) followed the conflicts in Lebanon, 51% selected Palestine, and 35% chose Iraq. The Iran Skype or other similar VOIP service. At the bottom of the list came, in order, playing video or computer games, playing
elections and nuclear power controversy (Iran conflict) came in next at 28%, followed by the Afghanistan war (17%), the Yemen war Internet games, playing sports or board games, reading books or magazines, reading blogs, watching movies at a
(13%), and the Sudan conflict (12%). theater, reading e-books, and watching live theater plays.

Figure 9: Following Major News Stories 4.1 Frequency of media use for entertainment purposes
When asked how often they used media as part of their daily leisure- and entertainment-related media activities, the majority (62%)
answered “several times a day,” 26% said “about once a day,” 10% chose “about once a week,” and 2% selected never (Figure 10).

Figure 10: Frequency of Media Use for Entertainment and Leisure


More specifically, 55% said they spent three or more hours a day on entertainment-related media activities (35% said four hours Figure 12: Use of Specific Media for Entertainment Purposes
or more, and 24% said five hours or more), while 22% chose about two hours per day, 13% said about one hour per day, 9% selected
less than one hour, and 2% chose no time at all (Figure 11).

Figure 11: Time Spent Daily on Media for Entertainment Purposes

After these entertainment-related media activities (Figure 13) came online social networking (54% use it at least once a day),
When comparing across countries and between income levels, participants from the U.A.E. and those of mid-to-upper income online chatting (47%), watching videos or movies on DVD or VHS (46%), watching videos or movies online (44%), playing games on a
reported higher levels of media use for entertainment purposes. In fact, 69% of U.A.E.’s participants said they used media for entertain- mobile phone (43%), watching videos or movies on a computer (39%), and talking on Skype or other similar VOIP service (36%).
ment purposes several times a day compared to 63% of those from Jordan and 58% of those from Lebanon. Similarly, 62% of U.A.E.
participants said they spent three or more hours using media for entertainment purposes compared to 52% of those from Lebanon
and 51% of those from Jordan. In addition, 71% of participants of mid-to-upper income said they used media for entertainment Figure 13: Use of Specific Media for Entertainment Purposes
purposes several times a day compared to 59% of lower-to-mid income participants. Consistently, 59% of mid-to-upper income
participants said they spent three or more hours using media for entertainment purposes compared to 52% of lower-to-mid income
participants. No significant differences emerged when comparing genders, age groups, or education levels.

4.2 Use of specific media for entertainment purposes
Participants revealed how often they used specific entertainment-related media activities (Figure 12). Watching TV programs ranked
as the top media activity for entertainment purposes, as 82% indicated they used it at least once a day (although only 42% chose
several times a day). TV was followed by cell phone texting, listening to music on a computer, and talking on a cell phone, with 79% of
participants saying they use each of these media at least once a day for entertainment purposes (although these three media activities
ranked higher than TV for media use “several times a day”: 60%, 55%, 52%, respectively). Following in order came listening to music
on an MP3 of portable player (71% use it at least once a day), listening to music on TV or radio (66%), and listening to music on a CD
or cassette player (60%).

At the bottom of the list (Figure 14) came playing video or computer games (35%), playing Internet games (33%), playing
sports or board games (28%), reading books or magazines (27%), reading blogs (15%), watching movies at a theater (14%), reading
e-books (14%), and watching live theater plays (8%).


Figure 14: Use of Specific Media for Entertainment Purposes 5.1 TV sets at home.
The majority of survey participants (56%) said they had three or more TV sets at home. One-third (33%) said they had two sets, 11%
said one TV set, and 0.2% said they did not have any TV sets at home (Figure 15).

Figure 15: Number of TV Sets at Home

Country. When comparing the categories above across countries, participants from the U.A.E. often ranked highest in fre-
quency of use, with the exceptions of listening to music on TV or radio, listening to music on a CD or cassette player, watching TV
programs, playing Internet games, playing games on a mobile phone, talking on a cell phone, using SMS or cell phone texting, reading
books or magazine, reading e-books, reading blogs, and Skyping. The differences for these categories were not significant.
Gender. Most categories registered no significant differences for gender with some exceptions. Males registered higher usage When comparing across countries, 68% of U.A.E.’s participants said they had three or more TV sets at home compared to 53% of
for all gaming categories (sports or board games, Internet games, video or computer games). Males also watched videos or movies Lebanon’s and 47% of Jordan’s participants. In addition, younger participants (17 or younger) were more likely to report having three
online more frequently. However, females more frequently listened to music on radio or TV and they used cell phones both for SMS or more TV sets than older participants (18-28) (59% vs. 50%, respectively), and the lower education group (some high school or less)
and for talking more often than males. was also more likely to report having three or more TV sets than the higher education group (high school degree or higher) (59% vs.
Age. Most categories also had no significant differences across age groups, with the exception of watching TV programs, 50%). No significant differences appeared between genders or income levels.
talking on the cell phone and cell phone texting, where the older age group (18-28) registered higher usage. On the other hand, the
younger age group (17 and younger) reported higher rates of watching TV programs.
Education. Only five categories conveyed differences between the two education levels. Participants of higher education lev- 5.2 Where do you usually watch TV?
els (completed high school or higher) were more likely to talk on cell phones, use SMS and read books or magazines, while participants
of lower education levels (some high school education or less) were more likely to watch TV programs. The study asked participants about the places in which they usually watched TV (Figure 16). The vast majority (89%) answered at home
Income level. The most pronounced differences appeared across income groups. Participants of mid-to-upper income level in a room other than their bedroom. Almost half (48%) said they watched TV in their bedrooms, 31% at a friend’s home, 5% in a car or
more frequently chatted online, talked on cell phones, used SMS, watched videos and movies online, and listened to music on a PC and bus, and 4% at school, university or work (see chart below).
on an MP3 player. On the other hand, participants of lower-to-mid income watched TV programs and played games on cell phones
more frequently.
Figure 16: Main Place Where Participants Usually Watch TV

(5) Television Habits
The overwhelming majority of participants had at least two TV sets at home, and while the vast majority indicated
that they watched TV at home in a room other than their bedroom, almost half the participants also said they mainly
watched TV in their bedroom. In addition, most participants mainly watched TV with their parents, with their siblings,
or alone. When asked what other activities they do while watching TV, eating topped the list with a vast majority indi-
cating so. Following this activity in order were: talking with people in the room, mobile texting, talking on the phone,
emailing, listening to music, browse online, doing homework or work, playing video games, and a small minority said
reading. When asked about the programs they mainly watched on TV, a majority chose movies, comedy series, music
videos and drama series. A substantial minority cartoons, sports, documentaries, and game shows. Only few selected
newscasts and political talk shows.


When comparing across countries, Jordan’s participants (94%) watched TV in a room other than their bedroom more often 5.4 What do you usually do while watching TV?
than U.A.E.’s (87%) and Lebanon’s participants (87%). Conversely, Lebanon’s (54%) and the U.A.E.’s participants (53%) watched TV in
their bedroom more often than Jordan’s participants (31%). As for gender, males (57%) watched TV in their bedrooms more often than Participants chose what other activities they usually engaged in while watching TV. The vast majority (87%) said they usually eat while
females (42%). No other significant differences emerged across countries, genders, age groups, education levels, or income levels. watching TV. More than half (59%) talk with people in the room, 53% send and receive cell phone text messages, 50% talk on the
phone, 41% email, 39% listen to music, 36% browse online, 35% do their homework or work, 19% play video games, and 17% read
(Figure 18).
5.3 With whom do you watch TV?
Participants mainly watched TV mostly with their parents, siblings or alone. The vast majority (77%) said they mainly watch TV with Figure 18: Activities That Accompany TV Watching
their parents. Similarly, 69% of them said they watched TV with their siblings, 63% alone, and 58% said with their friends, and 25% said
with other relatives (Figure 17).

Figure 17: TV Watching Habits

When comparing across countries, Jordan’s participants (83%) emerged as more likely than Lebanon’s (76%) and U.A.E.’s partici- When comparing countries, Jordan’s participants (63%) were more likely than Lebanon’s (58%) and U.A.E.’s participants (56%)
pants to watch TV with their parents (83%, 76%, 74%, respectively) and with other relatives (31%, 24%, 21%). Also, Jordan’s (73%) and to chat with people in the room while watching TV. U.A.E.’s and Jordan’s participants were more likely than Lebanon’s to mobile phone
U.A.E.’s participants (72%) watched TV with siblings more than Lebanon’s (66%), while Lebanon’s (61%) and Jordan’s participants (58%) texting (59%, 58%, 48%, respectively), talk on the phone (57%, 57%, 43%), browse online (45%, 40%, 30%), and read (22%, 20%, 14%).
watched TV with their friends more than U.A.E.’s participants (52%). No significant difference registered for watching TV alone. Also, U.A.E.’s participants were more likely than Jordan’s and Lebanon’s to email (47%, 38%, 39%), play video games (28%, 16%, 15%),
As for gender, females watched more TV than males with parents (82% vs. 71%), with siblings (74% vs. 63%), and with other rela- and to listen to music (45%, 33%, 38%). No other significant differences emerged.
tives (27% vs. 21%). On the other hand, males watched more TV than females alone (66% vs. 60%) and with their friends (60% vs. 56%). Some significant differences appeared when comparing genders, age groups, education, and income levels. First, females
When it came to age, education, and income, first, younger participants (17 or younger) were more likely than older partici- were more likely than males to chat with people present in the room (63% vs. 53%), mobile texting (60% vs. 46%), talk on the phone
pants (18-28) to watch TV alone (65% vs. 58%), with siblings (71% vs. 64%), and with other relatives (27% vs. 20%). Second, participants (53% vs. 47%), and do their homework or work (39% vs. 30%). Males were more likely than females to browse online (40% vs. 34%)
with lower education levels (some high school or less) were more likely than those with higher education levels (completed a high and play video games (27% vs. 12%) while watching TV. Second, younger participants (17 or less) were more likely than their older
school degree or more) to watch TV alone (66% vs. 57%), with their siblings (72% vs. 64%), and with other relatives (19% vs. 27%). counterparts (18-28) to listen to music (42% vs. 34%) and play video games (21% vs. 14%) while watching TV. Third, lower education
Finally, participants of lower-to-mid income were more likely than those of mid-to-upper income to watch TV with their parents (78% participants (some high school education or less) were more likely than higher education participants (completed a high school
vs. 72%). No other significant differences emerged. degree or higher) to listen to music (42% vs. 33%) and play video games (22% vs. 13%) while watching TV. Finally, mid-to-upper income
participants were more likely than lower-to-mid income participants to mobile texting (60% vs. 52%) and browse online (45% vs. 34%)
while watching TV. No other significant differences emerged.


5.5 What do you usually watch on TV? (6) Work- or Schoolwork-Related Media Activities
The study asked participants to choose the main TV genres they watched (Figure 19). Movies topped the list with 87% of participants The majority of participant indicated that they used media at least once a day for work or schoolwork. When it came to
choosing it. Comedy series came second (78%), followed by music videos (62%), drama series (55%), cartoons (43%), sports (43%), which specific medium they used most frequently for work or schoolwork, mobile phone texting ranked first. Websites
documentaries (38%), game shows (29%), newscasts (26%), and political talk shows (21%). came in second, followed by emails, online social networks, search engines, online chatting, and computer applica-
tions, successively. The usage of blogs for work or schoolwork ranked last.

Figure 19: TV Genres Mainly Watched The study asked participants generally how often they used media as part of their work or schoolwork. Almost half (49%) answered
several times a day, 23% selected about once a day, and 21% chose about once a week. Only 7% said never (Figure 20).

Figure 20: General Media Use for Work or Schoolwork

Comparing countries, U.A.E.’s participants (61%) were slightly more likely to choose several times a day compared to Jordan’s
When comparing what participants mainly watch on TV across countries, U.A.E.’s and Jordan’s participants were more likely than (47%) and Lebanon’s (43%). No significant differences registered for gender, age, education, or income.
Lebanon’s participants to watch movies (90%, 91%, 83%, respectively), drama series (59%, 58%, 51%), and cartoons (50%, 46%, 38%). In addition to general media use, participants rated how frequently they used specific new media for work or schoolwork-
Similarly, U.A.E.’s participants were more likely than Lebanon’s and Jordan’s participants to watch sports (49%, 41%, 40%). However, related activities. Below are the results for each (Figure 21). When comparing across the three countries, participants from the U.A.E.
Jordan’s and Lebanon’s participants were more likely than U.A.E.’s participants to watch documentaries (45%, 39%, 31%), newscasts followed by those from Jordan tended to be more frequent users of these media technologies for work or schoolwork. Similarly,
(36%, 23%, 22%), and political talk shows (23%, 25%, 14%). No significant differences appeared for other TV genres. females, participants 18-28 years old, those with a high school degree or higher, and those of mid-to-upper income level ranked higher
Some significant differences emerged between genders, age groups, and education and income levels. First, males were more in frequency of use.
likely than females to watch sports (68% vs. 24%), documentaries (44% vs. 32%), game shows (34% vs. 25%), newscasts (30% vs. 22%),
and political talk shows (25% vs. 18%), while females were more likely than males to watch music videos (70% vs. 52%), drama series (67%
vs. 39%), and cartoons (47% vs. 37%). Second, younger participants (17 and younger) were more likely than older participants (12-28) Figure 21: Media Used for Work or Schoolwork
to watch music videos (64% vs. 57%) and game shows (32% vs. 23%), while older participants were more likely to watch documentaries
(45% vs. 35%), newscasts (33% vs. 23%), and political talk shows (29% vs. 18%). Third, higher education participants (with a high school
degree or higher) were more likely than lower education participants (some high school education or less) to watch documentaries
(44% vs. 35%), newscasts (31% vs. 24%), and political talk shows (28% vs. 19%), while the lower education group was more likely to watch
music videos (64% vs. 56%) and game shows (32% vs. 23%). Finally, mid-to-upper income participants were more likely to watch movies
on TV than lower-to-mid income participants (93% vs. 85%). No significant differences emerged for the other TV genres compared.


Media Habits of MENA Youth: A Three-Country Survey

Media Habits of MENA Youth: A Three-Country Survey

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Media Habits of MENA Youth: A Three-Country Survey